A mudcake layer is created during drilling operations by a drilling fluid that is conveyed downhole through a drill string and expelled through ports in a drill bit to lubricate the drill bit during the drilling operations and to carry formation cuttings to the surface. The mudcake layer is formed as the drilling fluid mixes with the formation cuttings and/or other solids, and circulates upwardly through an annular region between the outer surface of the drill string and a borehole wall. This mixture coats the borehole wall to create the mudcake layer. One function of the mudcake layer is to hydraulically isolate a formation from the interior of a borehole. A mudcake layer is often referred to in the industry as a mudcake or filter cake.